Shuffling my projects in Central Pennsylvania

My last few hours have been pretty interesting.

At 7 p.m., I hopped in my car and drove an hour to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, at the invitation of Bobby Schell, a singer/guitarist I'd met and jammed with one night before. Tonight, he was hosting a jam session with his blues trio Fatback the night before their gig. I sat in and played keyboard. They said I fit right in so well that I must have been spying on their prior rehearsals. Halfway through, Bobby asked if I would join them at their gig in 24 hours. I said yes.

We'll be doing a bunch of blues tunes: many covers or just jams but also a few really good originals. We ran through some of those originals with my handy-dandy recorder, and they might as well have been studio takes. Their arrangements were tight, and both the drummer and bassist were extra helpful to make sure I knew what to expect next. All I had to do was look at them. I love that kind of situation. That's what is most fun about playing. Since this won't be a paying gig, at least I have that to look forward to.

My gig with Fatback will be at the Blue Front Lounge, 109 N. Front St., Steelton, PA 17113. We start up at 8 p.m. and will probably be doing two hours' worth of music. That's Saturday, June 25.

So as I hopped into my car after this audition/rehearsal/jam with Fatback, I left a voicemail message for my brother-in-law Kevin about the fact that now I have a gig the next day. Kevin is burying his uncle in the morning for a service where I'll be the organist, so I know it'll be a heavy day for him. I thought maybe he'd like to blow off some steam and come out to the gig.

After I left the voicemail, my phone rang. It's Tim, who's been the guitarist in my brother's band for the last 20 years or probably longer. Well, after a while of talking about everything else in the world, Tim finally dropped a bombshell on me: He's quit my brother's band. Thursday night was his last rehearsal with them. They ganged up on him, he said, and he told them he was through. Tim had been talking about forming a new band with me anyway, so now this makes it all the more pressing for him. In the meantime, I spent over half an hour on the phone with Tim discussing his feelings. He ended up saying he probably won't want to play the two remaining previously scheduled gigs with the band anymore because if he did so, tensions would arise that would undoubtedly land somebody a night in jail. He can't afford to take the risk that he'll be the one going in the pokey, so he's probably going to put it that way and tell them that.

Tomorrow, between the funeral-related events and my gig, I'll actually be seeing my brother whose band Tim quit. My keyboard has been at my brother's place this past week. My brother and I are also talking about playing some gigs out together, just the two of us, if we can put together an act. It will be interesting to see what my brother has to say about Tim quitting their band so suddenly after a 20- or 25-year relationship. Tim said their attack on him was akin to Pearl Harbor: "sudden" and "unprovoked." I'm sure my brother will contribute his two cents.

My thoughts go out tonight to my brother-in-law's deceased uncle Jack and sympathies to his family. I'm also sending my well wishes to Carol, who hosts the radio show I work for, as she's been undergoing some medical procedures over the past few days. I'm also thinking of my friend JR, who's also been in the hospital this week and I haven't heard many details. Finally, my thanks and good vibrations go out to Marianna, who hooked me up with Bobby Schell when he was looking for a keyboardist to augment his Fatback lineup. Marianna won't be there for the gig as she's going on vacation, but I'll be sure to tell her all about it when we speak again.